


Singing Out

by bookworm116



Category: Hey Arnold!
Genre: F/M, self indulgent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 16:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16162700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm116/pseuds/bookworm116
Summary: Helga's in a band to take her mind off of Arnold.It's gaining popularity, and it's working for a while, but Arnold comes to every single one of her concerts.He's sitting on her doorstep when she comes home.He's right there when she needs someone to fall back on.It's not fair.





	1. Chapter 1

“Miss Pataki, Your band has been getting quite famous over the years, and you’ve always had sort of a Punk/Goth/Emo look to you. So it was quite a shock when fans realized you always hid a pink bow on your person while performing, and it became a game after that for the fans to see where the pink bow would be next. We at the GMJ Newspapers were wondering; why the bow? It doesn’t fit! There must be some sort of symbolism.”

Helga took the mic and held it cooly in her hand.

“I don’t think I can answer that question.”

“But Miss Pataki- your fans really, really want to know! Could you drop a hint- maybe-"

“Here’s a hint, Bub. Hit the road.”

The reporters swarmed but Helga Pataki expertly dodged all of them, walking down the main street to where the limo with her band was waiting.

She opened the car door.

“Hey, Max, Step on it. Angry reporters.”

“What did you do this time, Helga?”

She grabbed a drink from the cooler in the limo.

“Damn, what haven’t I done?”

“Fair point.”

Max, the lead guitarist for the band, also often dressed as a limo driver and drove the rest of the band around the city. He had black hair and usually dressed sharply.

Shannon, who played Keyboard, filed her nails down.

“Helga, you never get into real trouble, anyway.”

Helga laughed.

“I mean, I am the world’s top.”

Sidd (Sid when they were kids, bassist/drummer in Helga’s high school band for a while and then moved on with her to the next band with Max and Shannon) was asleep on the limo seat.

Together, the four of them played for the band SMaSH, a name Helga had come up with, a conglomerate of all their names.

Helga had always been the sort of badass of the group, but she was also secretly the one who came up with most of the lyrics for their songs.

She was good with words.

Shannon scoffed when Helga sat down.

“World’s top might be a bit much.”

Helga nodded.

“Hey, I’m not telling the world to do anything.”

“Apparently not telling the world anything either- the fans are coming up with theories to figure out why you have that bow,” Max spoke from the front.

Shannon looked over at them questioningly.

“Why DO you have that bow, Helga?”

Sidd, waking up, grinned at Helga for a minute.

“I know whyyy…”

Helga threw some of her drink at him.

Sidd yelped and jumped off of the limo seat.

“Helga, I swear, these are new Beatle boots!”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Shannon put her arm on Sidd’s shoulder.

“So, Sidd! Tell us why the great Helga G Pataki wears a pink kid’s bow every performance.”

Sidd grinned maliciously at Helga.

“Well!”

She scowled at him, but folded her arms and looked pointedly at the rest of her bandmates.

“The reason starts with an Arn, and ends with an old.”

Shannon pieced it together.

“Arn-old? Arnold? Arnold who?”

Max laughed.

“probably that guy who comes to every one of our concerts.”

Shannon giggled.

“That guy? oh, he’s weird, Helga. His head is shaped like a taco.”

Sidd burst out laughing, “I think you mean a football.”

Helga growled at him in disgust.

All three of the other band members laughed at that.

Max pulled up to her apartment.

“Here’s your stop, Hels. See ya the day after tomorrow.”

She opened the limo door and saw a familiar football head sitting on her stoop.

Sidd saw him first.

“Hey, Arnold! D’you know that you’re the reason for Helga’s-”

His sentence was cut off by Helga’s hand in his face. She shoved him backwards back into the limo and slammed the door before any of them could say anything.

The sunroof opened before the limo drove off.

“You two have fun!” Called Shannon, and Helga flipped her off.

She stalked to her front steps.

“What do  **you**  want, Arnoldo?”

Arnold got up.

He seemed to be deciding what to say.

“Well? I don’t got all day, Yutz, spit it out.”

“Can I… come in?” he finally said, and although Helga’s heart leaped at the prospect, her face remained calm and uninterested.

“…Sure.”

The two stepped into the small apartment, Arnold, having been there a couple of times before, knew where everything was already.

He half-laughed and turned to look at her.

“You’d think a superstar like yourself would have a bigger house.”

She nodded, bending to pick up the mail.

“Yeah… I just prefer the smaller house. I’m one person, after all. Never going to be more than that.”

Arnold’s smile faltered.

“What do you mean? You’re not planning on having kids, or anything?”

She laughed hoarsely.

“I’m the end of the Patakis, and hopefully it’ll stay that way.”

“Why do you say that, Helga?”

She stared at him.

“Because it’s true. Everyone in my family is dead, Arnold.”

“That’s really sad.”

She shrugged.

“Sometimes the truth hurts, Arnoldo. I wouldn’t mind getting laid every once in a while, but kids? nah. Not passing my defunct genes onto any undeserving kid.”

Arnold shrugged back.

He took her hand.

Helga gave him a confused look.

“What are you doing?”

“You can never really dance at your performances.”

“So?”

“Let’s dance.”

Helga was probably blushing.

“What if I don’t wanna dance? What did you come here for, Arnold?”

“I want to dance.”

“Look, I’ll put it to you bluntly. So your football-head can understand. You’re making no sense, and I have a lot of things to do.”

Arnold frowned.

And then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone.

And then the music started playing.

Helga turned away from him.

“Arnold, Please, I’m tired, we had a concert last night, I-”

And when she turned to face him, she just couldn’t say no.

“Alright. One dance. Jesus, football-head.”

She took his hands and they did the casual box step around Helga’s living room. She kicked her shoes off, feeling a little more at ease. Arnold did that to her.

Helga let out a little sigh and rested her head against Arnold’s torso. It was awkward as hell having her arms like that with her head against him, so she moved her arms slowly up until she was basically embracing him.

She couldn’t see Arnold’s face, nor did she care to. If it was one of disgust, well, he would just have to deal. He was the one who asked her to dance, after all.

What she didn’t see was the (sheepish?) (blushy?) smile on Arnold’s face. He put his arms around her back, and they kept moving slowly to the music.

And then the song stopped.

Neither one of them pulled away, they just clung to each other like if they let go the other would disappear.

Helga finally lifted her head.

Arnold had a smile on his face.

"Hey, Helga?" He asked softly, snapping her out of her trance.

 **What**  was she  **doing**? this was  **ARNOLD SHORTMAN**. He probably was dating like 4 girls already, what did she think she had any business cozying up to him like he was her boyfriend.

He would never be her boyfriend.

She pulled away from him, disgusted that she let herself think, even for a minute, that she could be happy with Arnold.

That boat had sailed away a long time ago.

Arnold's smile had dropped the minute she pulled away.

"I.. I'm tired, Arnold. You need to go. Thanks for... stopping by, I guess."

Arnold nodded and grabbed whatever it was that he had brought with him.

She didn't care.

She needed him out of her house before she really lost it.


	2. Chapter 2

Helga Pataki was not one to get nervous before a big show. She always got right on out there and started singing.

The music took her fears away.

While Shannon, Max, and especially Sidd were freaking out in the wings before the big show, all Helga wanted to do was find a place for her bow, somewhere the fans wouldn't suspect immediately.

She'd done it for years.

The fans loved it, they'd scream when they saw, Helga had no idea why.

Max was tuning up his guitar, Shannon was applying some last minute makeup, and Sidd was just... on the floor, crying about something. He did that sometimes. It wasn't weird anymore.

Helga was thinking about dancing with Arnold.

She was thinking about how he smelled good.

She was thinking about his hands, and how they went around her with no hesitation.

She was thinking about his dopey footballhead and his goofy grin.

She pinned the bow right on her heart.

As they walked out to meet the crowd of fans, all Helga could think about was Arnold.

Helga took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone.

"I'm Helga Pataki, and this is SMaSH." and she broke into song.

Sidd started drumming, Max was right there on guitar, and Shannon played the piano, and it all just fit.

A few songs in, Helga went for it. Helga never went for it.

"All you couples out there, get up and dance. This one's for that special someone."

A couple of adamant SMaSH fangirls screamed together, " **DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL SOMEONE**?"

And Helga felt herself blush.

She waved down the crowd, trying to calm herself down.

"Yeah, yeah, you guys. I wrote this song for my one and only. So you all better get up and dance to it."

The fans roared, and at that moment, Helga locked eyes with Arnold, standing in the crowd.

He looked confused.

That dimwitted, idiotic, moronic,

You could scream at him from the top of a skyscraper into his face that you loved him, and he still wouldn't get it.

Helga started, a little shakily, but she started.

Couples dancing in the aisles. Couples dancing on the dance floor.

Arnold sitting there.

Helga motioned, directly, to him, to get up.

A bunch more people thought she meant them, and a bunch more got up. Arnold stood too, but he didn't dance.

In the midst of the entire crowd bopping to the catchy song, Arnold was standing there, staring straight at her.

It almost made her lose her concentration. Almost.

 

* * *

  
Goddamn him. He was there waiting at the limo when they got done with the concert.

God. Damn. Him.

He smiled hesitantly at Helga, who avoided eye contact.

Shannon elbowed her.

"Ooooh, it's your man."

Helga shoved her over.

"Ow! What the hell, Helga?"

Helga bared her teeth at Shannon as they neared closer to Arnold.

"One. Word. I'll kill you."

Shannon grinned.

"Hey, Helga! Awesome show!" He smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up.

She tried to smile back, but it came out forced.

"Want a ride, Arnoldo?" His smile only widened at the invitation, as he sat easily next to Helga.

She was going to absolutely die.

She tried to focus on something else... like... like...

"So, Band Clash. Is coming up." Shannon helpfully started talking, easing Helga's embarrassment slightly.

"Oh, boy, and Ginny Wellington, who'll no doubt accuse me of having no boyfriend, and making the whole bow thing up to get attention."

"Ginny Wellington?" Arnold asked curiously.

"Cousin of Miss Rhonda Wellington Lloyd."

"Ah."

"What do you mean, Helga?" Max asked from the front. "ISN'T the bow thing made up?"

Helga blushed ferociously.

Did they absolutely HAVE to do this while Arnold was in the car WITH them?

Already her social media was on fire because of the SpEcIaL sOmEoNe Helga had. Already everyone was theorizing. Five minutes after the goddamned concert.

"No. The bow is real, Max. You can feel it if you want."

Arnold grinned.

"Didn't you wear that bow all the time when we were in grade school?"

" **WOAH, HOLD UP**." Shannon practically shouted.

"You two went to **SCHOOL** together?"

Arnold nodded at the same time as Helga shook her head.

Sidd just grinned, and then spoke.

"Anyway, you're gonna get swarmed with Ginny fans, Helga."

Helga groaned.

"I know."

Arnold looked concerned.

"Why would they swarm you?"

Helga looked at him like he was being a complete idiot.

"Arnold. Everyone is obsessed with this bow. They want to know why I wear it. Now that they have the 'special someone' comment, everyone thinks the special someone has something to do with the bow. Lots of people think I just made this mystery guy up to get attention. They think if they corner me, they'll get the 'truth'."

Arnold nodded, not really following.

"So why not just tell them the truth?"

Helga choked, and every single one of her bandmates started chuckling.

"Ah, well, the truth is kinda personal."

"Well, why not just bring the guy with you?"

Shannon was holding her hand over her mouth and attempting to stifle her laughter.

"Alright. Fine. I'll do that. Hey, Arnold, do you want to come to Band Clash with me?"

The laughter in the car stopped.

Helga had actually just straight out asked him.

Everyone thought it was the moment of truth.

Fortunately, no one knew Arnold like Helga did.

"Sure! It'll give me a chance to meet this mystery guy, too."

Shannon's mouth actually dropped open.

"Here's my stop," Helga said, tiredly smiling.

No one could possibly be that dense, her bandmates had thought.

Well. They hadn't met Arnold, had they?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I call this chapter: How Many Fanfiction Tropes Can I Fit Into One Chapter.
> 
> alternatively, Helga And Arnold In Cliche Situations.

"Wow, there are a lot of people here," Arnold noted, sticking close to Helga and her bandmates.

Helga nodded, preoccupied.

And then she saw Ginny.

"Ughhhh...." Helga said, pulling Arnold aside.

"Look, I can't do another year of this. Will you pretend to be my boyfriend just to get them off my back?"

Arnold blushed at the idea.

"Helga, wouldn't it be better to just tell the truth?"

"Please, Arnold." she held his shoulders, and that pleading tone in her voice almost made him give in. If she had gotten a second longer, he would have.

Ginny's nasally voice cut through the crowd.

"Helga G Pataki. Woman of mystery. Teller of lies."

Helga was a lot of things, but Arnold knew she wasn't a liar.

Helga waved tiredly.

"Heya, Ginny. Ready to compete?"

Her voice held no malice.

"Actually, I was just looking for your boyfriend. He's around here somewhere, ri- **WHOOPS** , I forgot. He's a figment of your imagination."

Her cronies laughed.

Arnold's heart tightened.

"I forgot that this was Helga Pataki, and she couldn't get a date if her life depended on it."

Helga stood there, stoically.

"Besides, a **BOW**? Who in god's name likes a ratty old bow that looks like something a kindergartener would wear? Only an imaginary boyfriend."

And that was it. Arnold was walking towards them before he even knew what he was doing.

"I like it, myself. But maybe that's just me. Not everyone can see past the surface."

He wrapped an arm around Helga, and he felt her stiffen.

Oh, geez, what was he doing? 

No, he was doing what Helga wanted him to do.

Maybe her real boyfriend didn't show up, but that wasn't going to make these girls go away.

"After all," He whispered to Helga, "The most beautiful gift can come in the plainest box."

 

Ginny's eyes widened as she took in the sight of Arnold.

The other girls stared too.

Arnold wasn't the best looking, by any means. But- compared to a fake boyfriend, and compared to Ginny's boyfriend, Arnold was incredibly handsome.

Helga knew that, or at least she thought. 

She might be slightly biased.

But from the looks on the other girls' faces, Helga knew Arnold definitely wasn't bad looking.

Arnold had an arm around her, and it was taking everything she had not to swoon.

Ginny finally snapped out of it.

"Oh, so you're real. After all these years, I was starting to wonder."

Arnold only grinned good-naturedly and offered a hand.

"Arnold Phillip Shortman, nice to meet you. I see you know my girlfriend."

Ginny nodded.

"What a firm handshake! You're so strong."

Wait. Wait a minute. Ginny had just switched from full-on bitch-mode to nicey nice princess face in three seconds.

Was she... flirting with him?

"Thanks," Arnold said and held Helga tighter.

He leaned down a little bit to Helga.

"Hey, wanna catch up with the rest of the band? I think we kinda lost them in the crowd."

Helga nodded, still in a bit of a shock.

Ginny waved her arms around.

"Oh, no no no, Arnold! you don't want to hang out with them right now! There's so much to see, and... and you'll see the bands later."

Arnold stared confusedly at her.

And then he looked down at Helga.

"Whatever floats your boat," She said sarcastically.

Arnold nodded.

"They put up musically themed rides, there's food shaped like guitars, come on!" Ginny was practically pulling at Arnold's other arm, wrenching him away from Helga.

He looked back at her, and she shrugged apologetically.

And then she followed them.

* * *

 

It had been an hour.

A full hour of Ginny talking. Nonstop. In her irritating voice.

"Hey, y'know what?" Arnold suddenly said. "Let's go on some rides. Come on, Helga."

Ginny reluctantly followed.

Helga frowned at him as he got into the ride. She wasn't making any sense. First, she wanted him to act as her boyfriend, then she's mad at him.

"What? Helga, did you want me to be your boyfriend or not?"

Helga nodded.

"Then you have to act like... like I can do stuff with you, and it's normal."

Helga's face flushed at 'doing stuff.'

"Ginny's two cars behind us," Arnold said. "We gotta look convincing."

"Awfully set in playing this role, are you?" Helga asked playfully.

Arnold blushed.

Helga leaned into him, and he blushed more.

"Helga, uh... can.. can I kiss you?"

He could have sworn Helga was blushing too.

"mm."

She closed her eyes, and he leaned into her too.

Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her.

They were both blushing, and neither of them wanted it to end.

 

" **WAit**. I told Ginny my name. Now she definitely thinks I'm your boyfriend... What's going to happen when your real boyfriend shows up?"

Helga's eyes dilated. 

"Uh. y'see, the thing about that..."

She was looking anywhere but his face.

Arnold pulled back.

"Helga... is the thing really fake?"

Helga bit her lip and stared at the ride's floor.

"I... It's... it's really complicated."

"What? How? I've never seen this boyfriend, either! And... And.. you've always sorta made it seem like you didn't need anyone. But then at the concert, you told people that you wrote a song for a 'special guy.' I've never even met him!"

Helga resisted the overwhelming urge to tell him to go look in a mirror and then jump in a lake.

"It's... I... I..."

Arnold stared at her as if looking into her eyes would give him all the answers.

"Alright here's the thing." Helga's voice went low, and Arnold ducked his head as if he was getting ready to hear some big secret.

"I have a massive crush on a guy. He doesn't know. In fact, I've kept him in the dark for a while now. And... the bow reminds me of him. That's why I wear it."

Arnold looked, once again, confused. 

"So why would you... Helga, why don't you just tell him? It's really stupid to keep it all bottled up."

Helga laughed, no humor evident in her tone. "He's incredibly dense."

Arnold folded his arms. 

"He seems nice. I think he would get it if you just told him outright. I know how hard it is to read you sometimes, Helga. Cut the guy a little slack."

Helga shook her head.

"It doesn't always work like that. He just wants to be friends, and.... well, sometimes, you can't have a happy ending like that."

Arnold watched her closely, his face showing one of concern.

"He... I told him a few years back. We decided to be friends." 

She was skating dangerously close to the real truth here.

"What's his name?" Arnold asked softly.

Helga froze.

She had been telling the truth for the most part up until this point. 

She averted her eyes to anywhere but his face.

"I don't want to tell you."

Arnold's eyebrows dropped and he looked hurt for only a millisecond.

Helga could feel his disappointment. 

"That's fine. He can be a secret boyfriend."

The ride stopped and Ginny was right there to start pulling on Arnold's arm, but he stopped her.

"Ginny, I think Helga and I will head back to where our band is staying. Good luck tomorrow though."

Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"Fine. Hey, but, could I talk to you a minute alone?"

Arnold looked at her confusedly. 

"Well, sure, I guess, but-" and she was dragging him off again.

 

Arnold walked back to Helga with a perplexed expression on his face.

"She gave me her number."

Helga raised her eyebrows.

"Are you going to call her, loverboy?"

Arnold laughed and shook his head firmly.

Helga almost breathed a sigh of relief. But she absolutely had to know.

"Are you dating someone right now?"

Arnold grinned.

"No, the girl I like is a little preoccupied at the moment. I'm just going to wait."

Helga's heart fell.

He liked a girl, but she already had a boyfriend. So he was just going to wait? That was stupid. Crap, wait, no, what was she doing? Helga knew she couldn't have Arnold. Why, every time she was around him, did she find herself forgetting that she could never have him?

"Oh. uh. That's cool."

 

Arnold felt Helga's whole demeanor shift.

She had been secretive, acting shy about who she liked. 

And now she just looked dejected and miserable.

"Are you okay, Helga?" He found himself asking as they walked up the path to the Hilton hotel.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She said quietly. Arnold knew she wasn't fine. There was something up.

"Does your boyfriend ever come to your concerts?"

"He's not my boyfriend. He'll never be my boyfriend again." She snapped bitterly.

"Again?"

He saw Helga freeze at the question.

Had they dated before? Who was this guy, and why did Arnold never seem to see him?

"Whatever. Does he come to your concerts?"

Her face relaxed some, and she even managed a smile.

"Yeah. He comes all the time. I think he's gone to every single one."

"Why doesn't he meet you after the show?"

"Oh, he does, sometimes."

"But wow, every single show. He must be a really good boyfriend."

Helga snorted, covering her smile with a hand.

He had her laughing.

This was good.

"I told you, you footballhead! He's not my boyfriend!"

"But he obviously cares about you."

Wow. Every single one. This guy did care about Helga and for some reason that sort of ticked Arnold off. 

He pushed the thoughts to the bottom of his shoe. Helga deserved someone who made her happy, and who loved her.

She was smiling. She deserved everything.

"I guess he does. I didn't really think about it."

Seeing her light up as she talked about some other guy.

He wasn't envious. He was glad that she was happy. Seeing her so relaxed and just ENJOYING herself for once was GOOD. He wasn't. Jealous.

"See, I bet this guy really does like you. He just doesn't realize it... Or he's nervous about what you'll say."

Why was Arnold defending this guy? Why was Arnold even trying to get them together?

Because he wanted Helga to be with someone that made her as happy as she was now.

She looked at him, incredulous.

"This guy doesn't even realize that he's who I'm always talking about. There's no way he likes me."

"I bet he does." Arnold smiled at Helga and opened the door for her.

"You're pretty likable, Helga."

"That's a lie."

They walked to the elevator, getting into a crowded one. Helga seemed to slide closer to Arnold because of all the people.

"I think we got a four-person suite and a two-person suite, so who do you wanna be bunked with? Shannon and Max might run off together, so we may, quite possibly, be stuck with Sidd."

She had said 'we.' Like there was no other option but for Arnold and Helga to stay in the same room.

"Sid's not so bad," Arnold said.

"It's Sidd now. He changed it."

"What's the difference?"

"one d."

She opened the hotel room door with the keycard.

Shannon, Sidd, and Max were already in the four-person suite. Four-person being two beds. Apparently.

Sidd was lounging on one of the beds, eating potato chips and slurping on a slush-puppy.

A half-eaten Mr. Fudgy bar was in one of his hands, dripping chocolate onto the fresh bedsheets.

There were Yahoo sodas EVERYWHERE.

Shannon and Max were on the other bed, presumably talking before Helga and Arnold had come in.

"Hey, Hels," Shannon called cheerfully, "You guys are sleeping in the room next door."

Helga's face turned unrecognizable.

"Of course. How silly of me, Shannon, to assume you wanted to spend the night alone with Max."

Shannon's smile never wavered.

"I figured you and Arnold would like it more."

The implications of THAT were not lost on Helga, and her face turned a shade of pink before she shoved Arnold back out into the hallway, and walked the short distance to the next room over.

Arnold wasn't quite sure why her bandmates were so teasing, but most of the time Helga took it in stride and teased them right back.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Helga muttered loud enough for Arnold to hear. 

"What? Why?"

She didn't face him.

"Because that was a four-person suite, bozo."

"So?"

"So the room we're going to is a two-person suite. There were two beds in the 4-person one. Do the math, genius."

Arnold nodded in realization.

"No, Helga, you can't sleep on the floor. I'll take it. You have a... a Band Clash thing tomorrow, you shouldn't feel bad because you slept on a hotel floor all night."

"Oh no you don't, mister noble. I'll sleep on the floor if I want."

"What if we... You could sleep on the mattress, and I could take the box spring."

"No, that's as bad as the floor."

"Well, then why don't we just sleep together?" Arnold snapped, tired of Helga's pride and her stupid unwillingness to let him do even one nice thing for her.

Helga went quiet.

"That's a little too **BOYFRIENDY** , Arnold. Ginny's not even here." She finally snarked.

Arnold blushed and stared at the carpet in their room.

"I won't touch you, Helga. We can make a wall with pillows."

 

He was standing right in front of her, with his cute little perplexed face. He obviously didn't understand her hesitations about sharing a bed.

Helga didn't even really understand it herself.

He was **ARNOLD**. He was fine with sharing a bed with **HER**.

He was offering solutions to ease her 'discomfort' with sharing a bed with him.

* * *

 

" **Fuck** ," She muttered as she was getting ready for bed in the bathroom. "I love him, don't I?"

She had tried to be rid of him.

She'd formed a band in high school, had gotten a bit famous, and she'd even had time to write a book or two.

Anything to keep her mind off him. After they'd broken up. 

They were still friends, sorta. kinda. 

But then he discovered she had a band.

That nosy busybody.

And he'd come to every single one of her concerts, to date.

She'd search for him in the audience, every time.

He'd wait outside for her.

He'd come over to her house.

He'd invite her places. (She didn't usually accept, but **ARNOLD OFFERED TO TAKE HER PLACES**.)

He still made her feel tingly.

But she couldn't have him. She never could. Because he was Arnold, and He liked another girl.

"Dammit." She cursed. "Fucking **Dammit**. Of course it has to be **Arnold**. It's always Arnold. Every time. All the time."

She walked out of the bathroom to see an Arnold in his pajama bottoms.

They were plaid.

Obviously.

He was wearing **PLAID** pajama bottoms. He was sitting on the bed they were going to share wearing his stupid pjs. He looked adorable.

He was reading something, probably a hotel magazine.

He looked up at her and smiled.

"I'm done in there," She said and walked closer to the bed.

"I like your pajamas." He said sweetly.

 **DAMMIT**.

She was wearing a pink nightshirt like she always wore.

"Uh. Why?" She asked in the most neutral tone she could manage.

He liked her pajamas. He noticed.

He laughed. "It's just... Usually, you're all punk and rebellish and picking fashions that look almost hostile. And you're wearing pink to bed. It's cute."

Arnold had just said she looked cute.

Arnold seemed to realize what he had said and backtracked.

"I-I mean, it's weird. it's weird to see you in that. I'm, uh, going to go. I mean, brush my teeth."

Helga waited until he closed the door to the bathroom before falling onto the bed and releasing a sigh into a pillow.

The pillow Arnold was leaning against.

It smelled like him.

She got under the covers and turned out the light on her side of the bed.

After a few minutes, Arnold walked out of the bathroom and gently got into bed on the other side.

She felt the bed shift. She'd been drifting off to sleep before, but now she was wide awake.

Arnold was next to her.

In a **BED**.

He started moving pillows to the middle, true to his word about a barricade between them.

"Arnold, you don't need to do that." She stopped his hand, but cringed at how sleepy her voice sounded.

He stopped and looked down at her.

"'s fine." She continued, shoving her face into a pillow.

 

 **GOD** , she was cute.

Wait, no. That was a terrible thought. She liked someone else, and besides, Arnold knew they'd broken it off for a reason. He just didn't really remember what reason.

He couldn't help the smile that danced across his face when she yawned and buried her face into the pillow.

She really deserved anything that made her happy.

Settling in, the only sound he heard was Helga's even breathing in and out.

It was the best sound he'd ever heard.


	4. Chapter 4

She woke up, but not really. Her alarm was going off. On her phone.

But she was so comfortable, and he was so warm-

Helga reeled back in alarm as she found herself basically nestled in Arnold's chest.

He was waking up too.

Fuck. Have to turn the fucking alarm off.

She scrambled to reach it before he woke up completely. She silenced it.

Arnold's eyes closed again.

How had she even gotten to that position overnight?

She tentatively laid back down, brushing against Arnold's arm as she did so.

He leaned into her.

Now she was being hugged by Arnold.

While he was sleeping.

He smelled good.

She let herself be lulled by his comforting aura.

Him just being there made her 1000x less stressed out.

 

Helga's hair smelled like vanilla. Her hair was lighter than his, a fair blonde that he sort of loved.

He sighed and leaned against her.

Wait a minute

What

What was he doing??

He let go of her. She was probably freaking out. She liked another guy, and here he was cuddling her in a BED.

 

Helga was freaking out.

Arnold was TOUCHING HER. Arnold was LEANING AGAINST HER.  
IN A BED.

"Shit," She heard Arnold whisper above her, and that snapped her even more awake. Had he just sworn?

"Uh. Arnold? What's up?" feigning nonchalance. Like he hadn't just been... like they weren't exes sharing a bed.

Like this wasn't the most awkward thing Arnold had probably ever had to deal with.

Helga could safely say she took home the gold for inflicting awkwardness upon Arnold. Every damn time.

He jerked away from her.

Fine. She wasn't hurt by that.  
"I... 'm so sorry, Helga, I knew this would happen, we should have put the barrier up, you don't even like-" Arnold stopped short, looking into her eyes.

"You didn't want this to happen. I'm sorry. That was really... it..." Arnold stammered, and Helga wasn't sure if he was nervous that she would explode on him, or what, but...

"It's... fine. We've shared a bed before... No big deal." She was referring to their past relationship, dredging up old memories, too painful to look back on.

"Anyway. I have to get ready for a band battle thing."

Helga walked into the bathroom to change, where she could finally let out a breath she knew she had been holding in.

Putting on a blue jumper for their underwater theme, she did her hair and put her high heel boots on. Putting the BandClash™ T-Shirt on over her outfit, she walked out of the bathroom.

"Shannon's a mermaid," Helga blurted out. "For the show."

Arnold smiled at her from where he was packing his things up neatly in his suitcase.

That's right, they'd be leaving tomorrow. 

Helga wanted this to last forever.

She wanted to goddamn live with the guy.

"You look nice," He said, and then put a hand on the back of his neck and refused to make eye contact.

Did he feel bad about giving her compliments when he liked another girl?

She wanted to rush out of there.

Catching up with Shannon, Max, and Sidd for breakfast, Arnold and Helga fell in sync behind the group.

"Nice night?" Shannon snorted.

Helga gave her a nasty look, but Arnold just looked away and sighed.

"That bad, huh?" Max asked cheerfully.

"Yes, that bad," Helga snarled.

Shannon WAS a mermaid for their concert. She had a sleek looking dress that fell to her ankles. Shannon was very pretty, and a lot of boys had tried to ask her out.

She and Max seemed to get along pretty well, though.

Oh god, what if Shannon was the girl Arnold liked? What if Arnold was infatuated with her only because she was pretty?

Arnold had always gone for that type of girl in the past.

Granted, Shannon had a bit more intelligence, but... Oh god, what if that was what he meant when he said: "she's a little preoccupied"??? She was sort of dating

Max, so Arnold was just waiting??? That was bad. Helga knew Shannon was planning to marry Max. Arnold would be waiting forever.

Was THAT why he came to all her concerts? Just because Shannon was the pianist?

Sidd sidled up to her, cutting her paranoia short.

"Hey, can we talk last minute song prep? I'm thinking a drum solo."

"Sidd, these are mainly Shannon's pieces. Piano, watery, mysterious... not a big drum accompaniment at all."

"Yeah, yeah, but..." Sidd trailed off as none other than Ginny Wellington sauntered towards the group.

"Ciao, Shannon, Maxwell, Sidney.  _Helga._ Arnold!"

She spotted the footballhead and within a second she was pulling him away from the group.

He protested lightly, something about "staying with Helga" but Ginny paid him no mind.

Helga watched him go, and she was a little disheartened, but she had a BandClash™ to prep for.

 

"Ginny, what's this about?"

"Arnold, I gave you my number so you could call it."

"Yeah, well, I... it's only been a day. Also, sorry, I'm not exactly interested."

Ginny's false smile fell entirely.

"Look. Helga's been winning Band Clash for years now. I know you're her boyfriend, but isn't she terribly mean to you? Don't you want to see her fail at least once?"

Arnold's face turned very quickly into a scowl.

" **NO**. Are you trying to sabotage her? I don't want any part in that. Leave Helga and me alone."

"So she's not mean to you? Word is, she used to bully you in elementary school. Word also is... and I have very reliable sources here... She broke up with you."

Arnold started to walk away, but Ginny caught his wrist.

"She did, didn't she? She broke your heart! She stomped all over it with those tacky heels and you're still a little lapdog, catering to her every whim."

Arnold wrenched his arm from her grasp.

"Leave. Helga. Alone."

"It's because you still like her," Ginny spoke slowly; as if she was realizing it for the first time. "You're wildly in love with Helga G Pataki! That's rich. She hates everyone."

"That isn't true," Arnold said tersely.

"What? That you like her? Because anyone with half a brain could see it."

Arnold finally turned to face her, exasperated.

"What do you WANT, Ginny?"

And before he could react, before he could do anything, she leaned up and kissed him.

 

Helga didn't mean to watch Arnold and Ginny talking. But she heard Arnold speaking louder than usual, and he sounded more than annoyed.

She couldn't catch any words, they were on the other side of the room, and there were other people talking around her, so all she saw were the motions. Arnold pulling away from Ginny. Arnold facing Ginny.

She turned away for half a second, and when she turned back around, they were kissing.

 

It wasn't anything like kissing Helga. It wasn't anything. It didn't even feel like a person. He felt like he was kissing a carpet. But he WASN'T kissing a carpet.

He jerked away.

"What was that for?" His voice was dangerously low, and anyone who knew Arnold knew this voice was only for when he was beyond furious.

Ginny didn't know Arnold.

"Well, consider yourself lucky. Not everyone gets to experience an authentic G.W. kiss."

Arnold swore he would never hit anyone after the whole karate incident in fourth grade, but this girl was hovering dangerously close. He would never, though. No matter how horrible Ginny was.

Arnold turned to walk back to the group, and only then did he see Helga, staring at him from across the hall.

Her hands were at her sides, shaking, and she was looking at him like he was the last thing she ever wanted to see.

 

Helga turned on her heel and walked out of the hall.

Who knew one conversation could turn a person around so quickly?

Arnold had fallen for the pretty, popular, nicey nice girl.

Helga slammed her fist into a wall.

"Hey, woah, woah there! You can't do tha- Helga Pataki?"

The security guard that had been trying to stop her smiled widely.

"I'm your biggest fan! Could I get a picture, maybe? An autograph?"

Helga was seething, but she did her best to smile for the camera.

Then she walked away.

She wanted to die.

Of COURSE, he fell for the nicey nice pretty, smart, popular, PRETTY girl.

Why did it hurt so much?

They weren't even dating anymore.

She had no right to be acting so jealous.

Walking into the girls' bathroom, she sat in one of the stalls and sobbed.

 

Expensive stilettos clicked into the bathroom.

A nasally voice cut through the stall door.

"Helga G Pataki. How are you?"

Helga didn't trust herself to answer and not hear her own voice waver.

She wouldn't give Ginny that satisfaction.

"I myself am just fabulous. I trust you haven't spoken to your little lap-dog you're so fond of?"

Helga forced herself to be silent.

"That kiss we shared... wow. Just wow. I can see why you keep him around, he's a fantastic kisser."

Helga clicked the stall door open.

Ginny's smile widened at Helga's current state.

"Wow. You look awful. Definitely not performance ready."

Helga brushed past her.

She met up with the rest of the group outside, hoping no one noticed her current state.

Arnold and Shannon noticed immediately.

"Darling, what's the matter? We're on in 32 minutes!" Shannon said dramatically, fishing through her purse to find some tissues for Helga.

"I don't want to talk about it," Helga spoke. Her voice only slightly cracked.

"Alright, that's fine. Can you sing?"

"I can sing."

Arnold was quiet, though he was looking at her with a face of concern.

 

As they got ready backstage, and the crew set up their instruments, Helga found her pink bow in her bag.

Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach.

Shoving her bow as far down into the bag as possible, Helga took a deep breath and followed her band members onstage.

It had been a couple of songs, and people were getting confused.

One girl screamed: "WHERE'S THE BOW?"

Helga ignored the murmurs and shouts in the audience and sang louder, to drown out the people.

The only downside to this was that her voice was getting worn out, and it was coming out raspy and weak.

The audience sort of loved it, though. As distressed as they were that Helga apparently wasn't wearing a bow.

The Bow.

Looking out into the audience, she saw Ginny making her way through the crowd, towards... Arnold.

He looked absolutely transfixed by the band, though, and didn't notice her until she was practically on top of him.

And then they kissed again.

Well, at least this time it looked more like Ginny had forced herself on him.

Helga didn't wait to see what happened next.

She'd seen more than enough.

Cutting the song short, she spoke into the microphone.

"Hey everyone."

The crowd cheered.

"I can't perform tonight anymore. I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed, and if my band chooses to stay on after I've left, please cheer them on."

And she walked off the stage before anyone could see her face.

The rest of her bandmates probably looked as confused as the audience, but she heard them start up again as she walked out of the building and into the alleyway.

 

Arnold shoved Ginny off of him, once again.

"Why would you do that?" He yelled over the ruckus of people shouting. "I'm not interested! Stop kissing me!"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I had reasons. It worked, didn't it? Helga left!"

Arnold looked up on stage, and she had indeed.

His eyes widened in horror as he looked back at Ginny.

"You only did that so Helga would loose!"

"Yeah."

Arnold was actually going to kill her.

How could she do that to Helga?

He walked out of the theater. Ginny followed after him, walking too close behind. He walked faster.

"Arnold! You understand why I did it. She's such a bitch, she didn't even give you the time of day. She bullied you, broke your heart, and she keeps gaining fame. You know she deserves a little karma."

Arnold almost burst into flames he was so upset.

"She's had all the karma in the world. She's had things happen to her that she didn't deserve in the first place."

"She's the lead singer in the most popular band in Hillwood, if not the other surrounding cities!"

"And she deserves it." Arnold hissed, moving to walk out of the theater in the direction Helga was going.

"She hates you! And you're still in love with her! You're a lackey! A sheep!" Ginny flailed her arms around, looking the most undignified Arnold had ever seen her at. Usually, she was all prim and proper. She reminded him of Rhonda, only Rhonda wasn't this mean. Rhonda was at most going to criticize your fashion sense. She wasn't going to take who you loved and try to hold it against you.

"Ginny." "WHAT?"

"I love her because she's the most amazing girl I've ever met."

"Yeah, well she's a bitch. And she's ugly. And when I found her crying in the bathroom earlier-"

"What?" Arnold yelped.

"Oh, yeah. It was after I kissed you the first time. She looked awful. I don't know how you can stand to be around her, with that awful unibrow."

Arnold's fists unconsciously clenched at his sides.

"Why was she crying?"

"Do you think I care? No, yeah, it was probably because I kissed you."

Ginny had made Helga cry.

Helga had been crying earlier today.

Helga had walked off the stage.

Ginny was responsible for making Helga feel bad.

Ginny wasn't even sorry that she was being a terrible person.

"I hate you," Arnold said quietly, before he could stop himself, and turned away from her.

"What? Because your girlfriend is a wimp? Because she's a godawful singer? Because I'm 'mean?'"

"Stop insulting her!" Arnold raised his voice slightly.

"No! She deserves it! She deserves to feel miserable! She's the worst person in the world! SHE HATES YOU."

Ginny had gotten right up to his face, shouting in her annoying, screechy, nasally voice. Finally, he couldn't take it.

"STAY AWAY FROM HELGA." He shoved her away from him, easily done since he was taller. He didn't intend to hurt her, just wanted to get her out of his face.

She started shrieking.

Arnold quickly found the exit.

 

"Helga! Wait!"

She turned.

Her face filled with disgust as she saw him, and Arnold felt his heart sink.

"Are... Are you okay?"

"I just found out my crush is dating someone else."

"Oh, Helga, that's terrible."

Helga just nodded.

Arnold, not really thinking, wrapped his arms around her.

She didn't push him off, just shivered.

"So." She started, and Arnold heard the way her voice changed.

"You and Ginny, huh?"

 

"No." Arnold's voice was flat.

"But..."

"But she kissed me when she found out... when.. uh..."

"When she found out what?"

"A... a secret, I have."

"You? Mister Honest, a secret keeper?"

"I have reasons."

"Oh really?"

"Y-yeah, this girl I like... after we broke up... I..."

"You dated another girl after me?" Helga asked, her breath catching.

Why did she sound so panicky and stupid? He had a right to date whoever he wanted. In fact, she had broken up with him a long time ago.

He SHOULD be dating other girls.

"Uh... didn't you date guys after we broke up?" Arnold asked quizzically.

"No," Helga said, and then, realizing her lie required her to have dated at least one other imaginary boy, backtracked. "I-I mean..."

"No," Arnold repeated.

"Did... did you really think I looked nice this morning?" Helga avoided.

It worked. Arnold's face flushed and he looked away.

"Arnold Shortman. Do you think I look nice?"

He was too sweet and modest for his own good.

"Yes," Arnold said softly. Her heart leapt. "Did you ever like me after we broke up?" He asked slowly.

Here it was.

The moment of truth.

She could just tell him. Deal with the consequences. Find some way to get over him once he smiled and said "No, Helga, I just don't feel that way about you anymore. and besides, I kinda like Ginny. I'm just being nice and pretending I don't like her because you don't like her. it's really Romeo and Juliet, forbidden love. and you know me, I'm such a romantic. See ya, Helga!"

Or she could not. She could not do that.

"I-I...."

He was watching her extremely closely, and it was making her uncomfortable.

"I... n... I nev... I never did." She forced out the lie.

The very obvious lie.

The terrible, horrible lie.

His face fell.

She felt awful.

"Oh. Okay."

"W-why, did you?"

He turned away.

"No."

Funny how that one word could make Helga's entire world crash to the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been two weeks since the BandClashDebacle™. Helga felt like dying every single day since she woke up.

Shannon had tried to make her feel better, Max had offered special limo rides to Helga.

Sidd had even stopped by.

Helga was a lump on the couch.

Their next big show was coming up, but Helga just couldn't face her band at the moment.

So she took a bus to the opposite side of Hillwood.

Stepped into a little bar.

Ordered some drinks.

* * *

 

 Helga wavered a little, her hand moving over the send button.

Finally, she pressed it.

_hhheyy_

_HeyyyArnoldododl_

_Arnoldd_   
_Come_   
_Comme Pick mee up_

Yeah. That was good.

She heard a voice behind her.

"Hey, aren't you Helga Pataki from SMaSH?"

She turned around slowly. 

Her head hurt.

"Yyyyeah, what's it to ya, bubster?"

The guy gave her a strange look.

"Um, can I have your autograph?"

"Listen here, buster. I'm... I've had... I have a boyfriendd, and he's the.. he's the nicesttt boy everr. He's comin... he's... he's comin to pick me up."

The guy asking for her autograph pulled back a bit.

"Are... Are you drunk?"

"I'm leaving," Helga announced haughtily.

She turned on her heel and promptly walked out of wherever she was.

The guy behind her muttered: "Imagine that. SMaSH, smashed."

 

Arnold rolled over on his side.

There was a buzzing noise coming from the vicinity of his nightstand, but he was sleeping. 

Finally, he couldn't take the noise and grabbed whatever it was that was making it.

It was his phone. 

And there were about a dozen texts from Helga.

Sighing, he rubbed his eyes, sat up, and read them.

 

"Hey, Chickiebeetle. Looking for a good time?"

Helga turned, not feeling exactly herself.

"No thanks, I'm good," She slurred, wobbling in her shoes.

She wasn't even wearing heels, how was standing up straight so difficult?

This guy on the street wasn't taking no for an answer, though.

"Don't be sour, Chickie. Come here." The guy placed his hand on her, and Helga whirled around.

"Get offa me, you cree-" And then he kissed her.

Helga felt awful.

"Get **OFF**!" She screeched, tearing away. 

Who did this guy think he was? Coming out of nowhere and **kissing her**?

He kept touching her though, in places she didn't want him to.

She was about three seconds away from pummeling this guy, but she lost her balance. The creep caught her.

"Woah there, Chickie."

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She tried to wrench herself away from his grasp, but he was holding fast to her.

"Hey." A calm voice sounded down the alley they were in.

Were they in an alley? When had that happened?

"I'll give you three seconds to let go of her."

* * *

 

"You didn't have to rescue me. I don't need to be saved like some damsel in distress."

She was sitting in Arnold's car, feeling the air conditioner blow cool air onto her. Arnold was driving, and he looked absolutely furious.

"I DIDN'T HAVE TO?" He grabbed his phone, turned it on, and showed her some text messages. She had never heard his voice raised so much. Wait, yes she had. When they had broken up she had. But he didn't usually raise his voice. This was a new thing. He dropped his phone, still holding eye contact. It was making Helga queasy.

"YOU told me to come pick you up!"

"Well, you could have just not come."

He laughed weakly and turned back to face the road.

"You think I could have just left you there? Never."

Something in his voice made Helga feel really guilty, and she didn't even know why.  
She started to say something, but she felt her stomach rising up into her throat.

"Pull over," She managed, and Arnold did.

She pulled the car door open and managed to make it out of the car before she threw up.

Arnold walked around the side of the car and held her hair back.

He kept his other hand on her back.

She righted herself.

"Unghhhhhh." She fell into Arnold's arms, and they stood there on the road for a long time.

Helga didn't get why he would even bother coming to get her if she was just gonna be all nasty and pukey on him.

Helga didn't understand why he bothered to hang out with her at all.

Back in the car, Helga turned to face Arnold.

"I hate how formal we are." She suddenly said, and he smiled a little bit.

"I wouldn't call stopping on the side of the road to let you throw up FORMAL."

"No, I mean... We're all, 'thank you,' and 'how've you been,' and 'how's the weather.'" Helga made a face.

"Why did we even... why did we break up? I miss you so much. If you broke up with me, I-I completely understand... but I don't even remember."

Arnold was quiet for a minute.

"I would never break up with you, Helga."

Helga stared at him.

Did that mean he still sorta liked her? What the fuck was that sentence supposed to mean? Did that mean he wouldn't have broken up with her if she hadn't broken up with him? _What the fuck? Did that mean he still liked her, at least a little bit? Why HAD she even broken up with him? He was goddanged ARNOLD!_  
 _Did that mean he was done with her because she HAD broken up with him?_

Looking closer at him, she realized his face was tinged with pink.

Maybe it was the fact that she had had 4 or 5 shots of tequila, maybe it was the fact that this was ARNOLD, right in front of her.

She found his hand that wasn't on the steering wheel and placed her own on top of it.

His face went red. Aha.

Smiling to herself, she whispered in his ear: "Pull over."

Arnold pulled over.

And then she could kiss him.

After she pulled away from his football-headed face, (grinning at how red it was), she said softly to him,

"Y'know, you're the reason for the bow."

"What?" Arnold squeaked.

"Yeah. That's right. Isn't that crazy, Arnoldo? I've been in love with you for 18 years!" She laughed. "And you never realized it!"

Arnold's look of shock made her laugh harder.

"Helga, we were dating for 7 of those years!"

"I know!"

"So what-" "I meant after. When I wore the bow and talked about the 'special guy' and you never GOT IT."

"But you broke up with me!"

"Arnold. Arnold Arnold Arnold." She put a finger over his mouth. "Arnold, Arnold, sweet, innocent, naive, caring, oblivious, Arnold." Smiling lovingly at him, she spoke: "Get it through your thick head that no matter what I say when I'm sober, I'll always be in love with you. You're the ONLY guy I would EVVVER date."

A smile formed on Arnold's face, and Helga suddenly pulled away.

"Oh, God, what did I tell you that for? I don't even know if you like me like that."

"I don't think I'm the only one who doesn't get it," Arnold breathed, and pulled Helga towards him.

And then Helga was kissing Arnold, and everything was right.

That meant Arnold liked Helga.

How much he liked her, well, that was uncertain, but he liked her enough to kiss her. He liked her enough that his face would turn red when she flirted with him.

Enough for him to drive across town to save her when she was drunk.

They kissed a lot. 

Helga wasn't totally sure how much, but they were in the middle of it when Arnold accidentally leaned against the horn.

They both jumped as though someone had fired a shotgun, their faces going bright red.

"Uh-" Arnold started, clearly ready to... actually, Helga wasn't sure of his intentions. He looked worried. Like he cared about getting her home. But he also... was staring at her. And blushing.

Wordlessly, they both nodded and moved to the backseat.

More room.

For kissing.

Did she mention she was kissing Arnold?

Arnold freaking Shortman.

Was kissing her.

Of course, this shouldn't be something that was making her panic.

Back when they got together for the first time, Arnold was all about physical contact. Hugs, handholding, soft kisses given to her and only her. Back then, after she had gotten over her intense fear of being 'spotted' by other people, she had let herself relax and enjoy being with Arnold.

They were around each other most always. People made comments, got sick of them being lovey-dovey. Arnold had had to stop Helga from punching a whole lot of guys (Harold) in the past. 

But then they had broken up. Helga had pushed him away for good. She always pushed him away, but that was the final straw.

Arnold had left her alone.

Arnold had made sure not to touch her again. No more hugs in the hallway, no more locking hands on the way to school, no more Arnold's hand brushing against her face in that oh-so-Arnold and so completely romantic way that he did.

When they broke up, he had made sure that she was fine with nothing more. 

Of course, she wasn't. But that was... this was...

He was finally kissing her AGAIN. For the first time in a long time. The way it used to be was like this.

Helga was so glad to have it back, if only for a drunken night.


	6. Chapter 6

Helga awoke to a series of dings coming from the area where Arnold had dropped his phone last night. 

She tilted her head upright, feeling a sharp pain.

She had SUCH a headache.

What had happened last night?

Arnold... rescued her... and then they.... kissed.... and Arnold was currently lying with his shirt off underneath her..... w..wh...

They had KISSED.

And she was pretty sure he had taken his shirt off to give her a pillow on the hard car seat.

Of which he was currently laying on.

With his angel face.

Snoring.

He was beautiful, Helga decided, and leaned over to pick up the phone that was making the noise.

Arnold's phone was locked, so she read through the notifications showing up at the bottom first.

Shannon  
 _Hey, it's Shannon we were just wondering if you knew where Helga was, it's pretty late and she's not showing up for band rehearsal..._

Max  
 _Hey yo man where tf is our girl she didn't show up at all for rehearsal and she's not answering any texts_

Sidd   
_Hey Arnold, buddy, friend, where's our lead singer?_

Shannon  
 _ARE BOTH OF YOUR PHONES BROKEN OR SOMETHING?_

Max  
 _Aight look, man, if you wanna go off with Helga that's fine, but we are less than an hour away from a performance, anddddd?_

Shannon  
 _dUDE. DO YOU KNOW WHERE HELGA IS?_  
 _ALSO_  
 _Should we file a missing person case?? SHOULD I CALL THE POLICE_

Max  
 _Alright I know it sounds like we're overreacting a bit but Helga has this habit of not showing up, and like, we find her passed out somewhere bad. Sometimes it's really messed up we want to save her from that again so Arnold if you have any idea of where she is could you tell us?_

Helga was getting sick of turning the home button on and scrolling through the notifications every time the screen fell asleep, so she tried a password.

5 digits.

a r n o l d was six.

His birthday didn't work.

Arnold didn't have an anniversary...

G E R A L D was also six. names of his parents?

M I L E S was 5 letters, didn't work. 

The phone was getting agitated with her, telling her she got one more try before it shut off for 5 minutes.

Tentatively, she tried H E L G A.

The phone clicked on.

She almost dropped it she was so surprised.

"What?" She giggled, falling onto Arnold. 

He grunted but didn't rise. His passcode was her name.

That meant every time he turned his phone on, he thought of her.

He... thought of her daily.

MAN, she really was clueless! And here she was last night berating Arnold for being this oblivious moron when SHE was the one who broke up with HIM and he had never really gotten over her either!

God, she was stupid.

**This is Helga I'm fine**

Shannon  
 _WHY ARE YOU USING ARNOLD'S PHONE_

Max  
 _Why isn't Arnold using his own phone???_

Shannon  
 _HELGA_  
  
Max  
 _Helga, we're wAITING_

**he's asleep right now we're both fine sorry i didn't come to rehearsal**

Max  
 _Also, um, your own CONCERT._

Shannon  
 _Girl, you're losing popularity fAST. No one likes to pay 44.9 dollars for a concert ticket only for the lead singer to never show up._

Sidd  
 _uh_  
 _Why is Arnold asleep_  
 _Where even are you guys?_  
 _Are you guys sleeping together again?_

Shannon  
 _WHAT_

Max  
 _Excuse??? EXPLAIN_

Sidd  
 _I sorta didn't mean it like that_

Shannon  
 _WHATTTT_

Max  
 _How else can you mean it?? WHERE ARE YOU?_

**Shut up shut up shut up Arnold's sleeping and you're gonna wake him up with all your annoying beeping. We're in his car.**

Shannon  
 _W . H. A. T._

 **I was drinking last night and** I **guess** I **texted him and he came to pick me up.**

Max  
 _Drunk texting ur ex, huh? So cliche_

Sidd  
 _so where are you? Where were you drinking?_

**I honestly have no idea**   
**look I'll text you guys later on MY phone**   
**all you need to know is: I'm okay, and I've got literal Angel-Spawn looking after me. Plus- he can stand to be around me when I'm drunk, soooo?**

Shannon  
 _wwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttt_

**I'll fill you guys in later- Arnold's with me so everything's fine now**

Sidd  
 _kk cool_

Max  
 **You can't just leave us hanging there!**  
 **I mean I guess but**

_Shut up i wanna go back to bed_

And she did. She fell back against Arnold's chest, his arms wrapping almost instinctively around her.

Feeling warm, she snuggled deeper into him.

Oxytocin, she reasoned. That's the only reason she wanted to cozy up to Arnold. Because he was a huggy guy and she was in desperate need of hugs.

Oh, who was she kidding?

He knew she loved him.

He let out a humming noise, shifting to curl around her.

She drifted off, and even though she had a killer hangover, She felt SO good right now.

 

She was roused a while later by soft chuckling.

"Literal Angel Spawn?" He asked quietly, and she snatched his phone from him. 

"YOU STOP READING THAT RIGHT NOW!"

He laughed and tried to reach for his phone.

"Everything's fine now because Arnold's here!" he teased.

Helga practically hissed at him.

"You saved my ass, don't pretend like you didn't. And that's not how I meant it."

He was still giggling.

"Are you sure that's not how you meant it? Because last night I remember pretty clearly you saying, 'no matter what I say when I'm sober, I'm always gonna be in love with you,'" "SHUT YOUR FACE."

"I got it through my thick head, didn't I?"

She screamed and yanked open the car door, considering throwing his phone into a ditch.

She could still hear his laughter from inside the car.

It was light, good-natured.

Nothing like the false cackle she had perfected over the years.

He was nothing like her.

She wondered if she destroyed his phone, would his password still be Helga?

And did she mention that this boy LIKED her? Some of the events of the night were a little fuzzy, but she remembered his tone as he pulled her closer to him. 

It was his flirty tone, reserved for only her. She'd only ever heard him use it on her. It was when they were dancing, and Arnold decided he wanted to lead. It was when they were doing something together, and Helga was being stubborn, and Arnold brought out that voice.

It made her weak. 

He knew all her weaknesses.

But he had said no when she asked him if he had ever liked her.

He had turned away.

He had let Ginny kiss him. Twice.

Arnold had stepped out of the car at this point.

"Can I have my phone back?" He grinned.

"Can I ask you a question?" Helga turned to him, completely serious, and Arnold's smile dropped.

"Sure."

"Why didn't you just tell me you liked me in the alleyway?"

Arnold stared blankly for a moment, and then his eyebrows knit together.

"Uh, because you had just said you basically never thought about me after we broke up."

"Yes, but you lied to me."

"Um... you did too?"

"Arnold! I lie about everything! I can't tell you everything that goes on in my head!" She pointed an accusing finger at him, "But you, oh Literal Angel Spawn, do not LIE. It's not in your nature."

"I just..." Arnold trailed off.

"WAIT. Is that the big secret Ginny found out?"

"I..."

"Was the girl who was preoccupied ME?"

"Uh..."

"And the girl you were previously dating??"

"Well, who was the guy who comes to every one of your concerts? Who's the secret crush guy who meets you outside at the limo... wait."

"Think about that for one second, Arnold. I said you're the reason for the bow, so....?"

"Y'know, we could have avoided years of agony if we just talked honestly to each other."

"Agony, huh?"

He blushed sheepishly.

"Well, y'know. Beating around the bush."

"You want me to be completely honest?" Helga asked, and her tone made Arnold maybe rethink.

"I think you're fucking adorable, you stupid footballhead."

"I love you too, Helga."

She wrapped her arms around him, and he willingly returned the embrace.

"We should get off the side of the road," Helga whispered.

 

It turned out they both liked jazz and hard rock, so those were the two stations they kept flipping back and forth to.

"I can't believe you're into ROCK!" Helga had practically shrieked.

"You're so... gentle!"

"Yeah, well, YOU and JAZZ? Who'd have pictured that?"

"I listen to jazz when I need to study, Angel Boy."

"Yeah, well, maybe sometimes I don't feel gentle."

But somehow the two very different music styles blended together very well, as they soon discovered on the way home.

* * *

 

"Miss Pataki, you're losing popularity. First, you show up at a Band Clash concert with no bow, and then walk off the stage after four songs! Then, you completely miss your next concert. The hosts of this concert were worried, and fans bought tickets warily, if only because they're marked down on your website. We at the GMJ newspapers were wondering if you could say a few words-"

"I got some words for you guys."

Helga took the mic from the reporter, smiled a devilish smile into the camera, and spoke.

"Helga G Pataki is back in business."  


It seemed like the entire house was holding its breath.

And then Helga Pataki walked out in a completely sparkly rainbow outfit, complete with rainbow sparkle fedora.

Truemotions, a song Helga had written a few days ago, was the first they played.

Sidd started with the drum beat, and then Max and Shannon slammed into the song.

Helga danced for a few seconds, letting the crowd get into the groove.

A few people noticed the lack of bow for the second time, but most were too into the song to really care right away.

Helga did 6 or 7 pirouettes in a row, her skill courtesy of ballet lessons for 7 years. 

And then everyone noticed.

The song ended, and Helga yelled: "Who's ready to see where my bow's going?"

People screamed. People cheered.

Helga just smiled.

"Everyone, please welcome Arnold Shortman to the stage."

The crowd went absolutely bat-shit insane.

 

Arnold didn't know how Helga did this so often.

As soon as he saw all the people, he wanted to turn around and walk right back out.

But then he caught sight of Helga, motioning to him to come on, smiling at him.

Really and truly smiling.

He loved it when she smiled.

And then he walked out and heard the crowd roar.

He waved politely.

Everyone was watching him, and he felt a bit of a rush.

And Helga laid the bow over his heart.

"Everybody, this is my..." She paused, and Arnold had to wonder if she was thinking over what to call him or having second thoughts.

Instead of saying what he was to her, she leaned over and kissed him softly on his nose.

Arnold felt his face get hot, but he continued to smile out to the crowd as everyone completely lost their minds.

After that, Helga went right into another song, and Arnold stood awkwardly on the stage until Helga coaxed him into dancing.

And boy, could she coax.

Arnold figured he would have stolen the sun for her if she had asked him.

The music got louder and faster and Arnold felt himself both lost and right where he needed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hoo-ha this is wrapping up. One more chapter of fluff because I can't just end it here like it should be ended.   
> Next chapter is an epilogue of sorts. Hope you enjoyed this one.


	7. Chapter 7

"What. A. Rush!" Screamed Shannon as they all walked out of the theater together.

"I haven't been that nervous since last Saturday when you didn't show up!"

Max punched Arnold lightly on the shoulder, and Helga could see him smile.

"That was awesome, Arnold. We should add you to our ensemble sometime. How well can you sing?"

"Are you replacing me with some half-wit who doesn't even know how to dance to pop music?" Helga butted in.

"I'll have you know I'm fairly good at ballroom dancing. And tangoing, Helga."

"I'm aware," She said dryly, and they both laughed.

"What's the story?" Shannon asked. "Are you guys gonna be sickly sweet with each other from now on?"

Helga shrugged, looking over at Arnold.

He was still smiling at her.

Reaching her side, he caught her hand.

"That wouldn't be so bad," Arnold said softly.

She giggled.

Her bandmates raised their eyebrows.

"Helga, are you going to keep being the tough girl or are you going to go all gooey whenever he shows up?"

 

Helga's face flushed, and Arnold grinned at the fact that she had to think about it for a few seconds.

"I'm, I'll... I'll be a toughie."

"Sure, Helga."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"No. You seem just as mean when you're around Arnold. Definitely."

"Hey! I'm rotten to the core! Grr, bucko, I'll make you eat your hat."

Everyone continued to smile at Helga.

She finally sighed.

"Alright, maybe I soften up a little around this guy. But can you blame me? He's like, the personification of sunshine and optimism."

Arnold just smiled.

The rest of her bandmates checked him over.

"Y'know, I think we'll get along fine, Arnold. Maybe you can teach Helga how to cope with her feelings healthily."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying."

* * *

 

Helga pushed the toaster down and turned the coffee machine on.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat at the breakfast table and tried to think of lyrics to her newest song.

Arnold walked out of the bedroom, yawning.

"Good morning," He said tiredly, and went for the coffee.

"Mmmnh," Helga responded, immersed in her project.

Helga wasn't quite sure when they had moved in together, but it hadn't been a big thing.

Arnold started coming over more, doing things around her house.

(He'd also started sleeping over more.)

He decorated the place a little better.

Helga's sparse decor left something to be desired, apparently.

"What do you think about this?"

She shoved the piece of paper into his face as he poured her a cup of coffee.

He scanned it and then turned to her.

"It's nice, Helga."

"Just nice? Does it make you feel something?"

Arnold nodded, taking a sip of coffee.

"Are we still on for tonight?"

Helga raised her eyebrows.

"I've cleared my entire schedule."

Arnold smiled.

"The song is great. Fabulous. I think all your songs are great."

"Not. Helping. I require actual constructive criticism."

"It's amazing."

"No! Actual, real, CRITICISM, Arnold! What do you think I need to improve?"

Arnold took the paper again, reading it thoroughly.

"I think you're the most beautiful, passionate, wonderful person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

"NOT ME, you stupid Footballhead!" Helga sputtered. "THE SONG!"

Arnold just laughed and kissed her forehead.

"I'll see you tonight."

 

Walking hand in hand to a fancy restaurant.

Arnold in a tuxedo.

Him constantly smiling, looking at her.

Like she was something desirable.

Hah.

Well, if Arnold believed she was worth it...

They walked into the restaurant.

Arnold had reservations.

Helga could have gotten those in a snap if she had just said her name over the telephone, but Arnold had chosen to get them for her.

To not use her now famous name just to get fancy seats at a restaurant.

He had never used her for anything.

They got dinner.

The waitress had gasped when she saw Helga. She wanted to take a picture with them. That stupid waitress.

She probably realized she was impeding on Helga's date and just WANTED to ruin it.

She kept checking on them, too. Helga wouldn't have minded a couple "How's your food, hun?" or "Everyone doing okay over here?" but she thought 6 times might have been a bit much. 

The waitress was also mooning over Arnold, something that clearly made him uncomfortable.

The seventh time she came around Helga made sure to grab Arnold's hand and stare deeply into his eyes.

Arnold didn't look like he minded too much, in fact, the moment she touched him a smile spread across his face.

After dinner, they walked through the park.

Arnold was shifting around, but he was still smiling at her.

They walked in silence for a while, taking in the night air and the small whispers of animal life in the park.

They got to an extremely floral spot in the park. It was night, though, and the bulbs were mostly shut because of the darkness. The spot was still unimaginably pretty.

"Um, Helga... can I ask you something?"

She turned towards him.

"YyyyeeaaArnold?"

He was on one knee, holding out a ring box opened to a fantastic pink gemstone.

"Will... Will you marry me?"

It was absolutely perfect.

ARNOLD was in front of her, holding out a ring, and he was smiling at her nervously like he thought there might be an answer besides yes???

And then everything went dark.

 

She stared down at him as if he'd suddenly grown two heads, and then fell over backwards. 

He leapt up to catch her from falling onto the paved path.

"Helga! Helga, are you okay?"

Her eyes opened after a few seconds, but they were glassy. 

"Arnold, Arnold... my beloved... whatever would I do without my benevolent-"

Helga seemed to realize where she was again and shook herself out of whatever trance she was in.

She seemed to be alright.

"Do you need to sit down a minute?"

"Huh...?" And she was back in the trance. She was staring at him dreamily, giving him a huge smile that, if one hadn't known Helga for very long, would say it was out of character.

Arnold bit back a smile and gently let go of her.

 

Helga didn't even know how to describe him at the moment.

He was THERE, and he was real, and he was content to smile and watch her get her bearings again.

And he had just asked her if she would marry him.

She had to repeat that a few times to even comprehend it.

And had she just started spouting her innermost thoughts to Arnold?

They were going to get married. It was going to be amazing. They would be married and grow old together and Helga didn't CARE about anything else just as long as he was right there with her, and... and... and she was still standing there staring at the guy.

"I... love you." She reached up to his wonderful football head, running her finger across his face until it reached his nose.

"You're weird," Arnold said, trying and failing to keep the ever-growing grin off his face.

Helga feigned offense and said poutily, 

"I won't be marrying someone who thinks I'm weird."

Arnold just stood there. And smiled.

Finally, she cracked.

"Oh, god, Arnold, did you even have to ask? I mean, you did, but did you think for even a second that I wouldn't say yes? I love you with my entire being. You're my everything, my only thing, my one true love, and all that jazz, you're the thing that keeps me steady when I'm unstable, you're the only person in this entire crazy world I would ever trust with my life, you're..."

"Helga."

"Yeah?" Her voice came out high pitched. 

"All you had to say was yes."

She flung her arms around him, shrieking, and passerby might have thought it was a strange scene, but Helga didn't care, god, she didn't CARE, he was right there and he was laughing and she was too and probably crying at the same time and it was just so GOOD and wonderful and she loved him so goddamn much.  
Arnold loved her too, and that was all that mattered right now, as she hugged him as tightly as she possibly could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they lived happily ever after forever and ever the end


End file.
